in seartch of allies
by Minaj-a-twah
Summary: In progress for a loan time out from now you'll see I already got a good bit of the end part here in a gona probably 4yoe REVISED AND COMPLETE


**_the following takes place five years after the original mission by the moon and stars transfixed the mind of silverwing loaw okar kahuakhaun. peace has once again crept ascross the nest now reruled by copperwingthefury. danger still lurks out there in the inexplicably retaining tainted mind of one last night fury follower vowing to come back with an army of night furys to sow revemge. and one other soom to use military surgical strategy like never before to test against the forces of peace and neutrality. these are their stories._**

hiccup horrendous haddock the third bolted awake, from a double nightmare, gasping. "hie!" he sat up rubbing his eyes. "when will stock the vast stop driving me so hard? hes my **dad** after all...would have thought a little fatherly love lurked in his chiefly heat somewhere...between the nobility and forgetful anger spams. most night if hiccup did have nightmares, usually terrible one, they consisted of the grimborn Brothers somehow returning after throwing the tool they desperately saught. or the first few times he and his rider gang of five heard the madman drago bludvist, last bloodcurdling cry as theyd escaped barely a reconcemce mission. he heard slight noises below, assumed it was toothless moving about, paied it no mind. his 'nert furt' companion hed captured when he was but a wee ant in his preteen _awkward_ years may be very eager to go flying.

but it left both in a state of exhaustion both at least he, hiccup, couldn't wait to sleep over. but wait. that other nightmare: in a lighter nightmare from the viggo-falling-into-volcano incident hed had a dream of a 'nert furt' assaulting his 'nert furt' with claws to his snout. more procicely his eyes. that shook his sleepy brain awake. its just a dream. mealy as nightmare. he hadnt a dream quite like that. living on the upper deck of stoicks house afforded a cropped view down to his front door and his dragon if he chose to lay down there, in his normally fiercely protective dragonly way. in some instinct he put one hand over the lip of his balcony to reassure himself light remained streaming through the door. stoick was out. but then again as chief he usually was, other then to periodically storm through in a bad temper, common of hos father, to grab an ice block for his headaches.

light streamed openly through his door. too much light...light that brilliantly highlighted, as if torturing him for his dreams, the black shape hovering over toothless. hiccups brain kicked into identification mode. 'nert furt. the other one hiccup saw earlier, not many questions could be found out of the duos arrival. his eyes saw the front paws raisd and saw whre the unfamiliar 'nert furt; aimed for. and poor toothless, exhausted from flying all day carrying him and goggle eyed gerty around on joyrides to see the village at stoicks request, didnt see the danger coming. over his maturity the vikings pretty much vigorously studied with his best bookworm fishlegs ingeran help; toothless agile anatomy. what made him fly so fast. how agile in flight. (how to out fly astrid on stormfly.) this new arrivals claws wernt meant for tussling like his dragon did with the gangs dragons, particularly stormfly: thisd seriously scar toothless. "toothless! wake up bud! watch out!"

...

"wozzit? whats going on?" toothless cried, ears standing straight up as if electrified, instantly alert. this reaction was so sudden loaw Zara got snacked with her adversarys black wing. she cursed under her breath, looking swiftly around for source of shout. she found it. "you. i should've guessed my target wasnt alone as he seemed: the follower hissed angrily. forgetting the night furys rider couldnt understand dragonic. it appeared wherever on this foreign land a dragon existed, a two legged wasnt far away. loaw zara wsant necessarily disgusted or affected by them, yet, but this one got on her nerves. "just as intelligent as his night fury. blasted buzzard." she hoped this wasnt true of toothless. the suddenness of waking up fogged his mind? nope: her hopeful eager assault to to his throat temporarily left open was averted as the humans voice called above

"she was trying to still your life bud! i had to wake you! go for the subduing method of aggressive dragons like we worked on that pack of wild mon niis. or when hookfang got wold for a week." toothless eyes snapped to slits in the depths of his emerald orbs and he was suddenly on the offensive, driving loaw zara back toward the door, swiping from all sides. never actually landing blows. out the door. down the levitating wood pieces. to the ready and waiting deadly nadder and unfamiliar two heeded green dragon. waiting. things swiftly turned sour for loaw Zara. her eyes found that blonde standing next to that snubby deadly nadder, so it was **hers,** preryng wretch. throwing am equally infuriating smug knowing look at her. 'caught you red pawed' it seemed to grind into her snout. she backed up further, toothless led her backward. "stop Right three, fuy. you've gone far enough." ordered stormfly bringing her rear around to fling her darts.

they thudded into the grass inches from loaw zaras sensitive tail rudders. shed throght if she could end this silently without much fuss, in secret. no one would be the wiser and she could grow close to her son unimpeded and return home across the sea. so much for that now. she was better at the sneaking around bit. not fumbling with ground combat. "why didnt you prepare for this part, my leader. oomph!" she grumbled. a black shape slammed her onto her back. all the breath and fight left her. toothless leered Down at her, a claw layed procicely to her jangulr. so much for her grand plan. "so...lets try this again. im toothless, night fury of berk. its one and only. and you are? lets find out exactly why you tried to kill me shall we? and why i had to be awakened by hiccup at the last moment to be saved. yes lets discuss that." loaw zaras anger dissipated, body limp under this males own, too surprised at bring beaten to put on her ' innocent mother' face. she swallow hard. meek. sheepish. "oops."

* * *

"a what? A whats here?" korins frenetic head whipped this way abd that. He landed on loaw zara, tail and hackles raised, and glanced away.. he wouldn't akologe that dragoness. "what about her?" toothless crouched practicedly for his two legged to sling a leg over, opening his jaws to reply "no bud. No time. If we got a beast on our shores threatening the wellbeinng we gotta protract them." Said its rider. Toothless shrugged helplessly, spreading his wings. A few calls to gather additional dragons not with speech but with had gestures at the riderless dragons.. a "mount up guies" a whoop and a holler from stoick and they were gone. Additional riders left the scene following the call of their chief, clearing out the vast bowl in the earth. A telltale padding of silent paws only a night fury could make. Copperwings ear frills perked then flattened, besides toothless he knew of only one other fury here. He knew who it was.

"ah son, good its just the two of us again. no stuffy dragons intentions to hinder our bonding moment." Copperwing didnt turn words cold and commanding like his a father. Deep. "no. Well have no bonding moment. Torrid: what was i thinking? You tried to kill someone im beginning to look up to, **just** so you could get a heap of black scales and talons and wings and heart...someone that has **life** inside them torrid...and tried to take that away. Im disappointed." her predictable hard pull of her moon: "son...i did it for you. He was holding you back. I did what i had to do." The nest ruler kept his back turned. He refused to notice her existence. She couldn't be saved. "you did what your master told you to do. your leader. saving innocent lives from your tyranny is what i do. Save them from you savages who pillage and kill and inspire fear in the hearts of my furys. Im done trying to convince."

"Your heart lasyes in the darkness. Go home. Fly back across the the sea to seleena. Tell her you failed. I will not return with you. Shell have to concoct another grand plan to get rid of me. My heart fights for whats just and right. Go home torrid; go home and dont come back. No one wants yuo here, ho home and pillage and kill and inspire fear back there. You're not torrid. You do not deserve the name, follower. you cannot be my bother: mothers wouldn't do this. Even if that were true, even for a moment i believed that lie...i would be shamed to be called your son." Loaw Zara watched coppoerwing go, one frontal paw on her chest. She lert him go. Could've stopped him. Chose not to. Those words sting deep. She let them. Welcomed the sting of rebuke: needed to know what it felt like for your only son to turn his back on you. After all shed done things already for him. Almost silenced a dragon for him. Her son should be over the moon happy an unhealthy influence was gone. But still..rejection. she signed long windedly.

"ill have to make copper feel that pain. It is the only way to chip away at that resolve. Feel my pain when i found out the truth about my husband. Something he did not know. That will break him. I will not shout. Lose my head. Im patient. I am calm copperll see truth eventually. She unfurled her wings raking to the air. She teriled after the dragons in thier wake, and there it lay, the hie green seabearst itself, blasting away huge cuncks of the Islands shore. And in loaw zaras mind: "I AM EXXCELLENCE! DIE YOU SIEASGIE WORMS! SUFFER THE WREATH OF THE POWER OF THE SKIES! BEHOLD MY MAJESTY! BEHOLD YOUR DOOM!" boom! It opened its maw, expunging a huge blue metallic ball. Boom! dragons scattered or got caught in the big explosion impacting the sands, setting the whole area ablaze. "a follower? here? But im the chosen one sent. Unless my leader doent think im good enough" loaw zara said to herself heavily in confusion. "ssssent by another to rid the land of defiance. Fousss on yourssssss" loaw zara nodded complacently. When askd if it presented a crossfire problem of coppers endangerment the stars wee silent. She set her jaw firmly, throwing herself into battle. Shed do it: shed fight on the side of the islands inhabitants to cast her in as redemptive light.

* * *

"now bud! barell roll! multiple blasts!" the spray of purple colored specks of explosive flame pummeled the submaripper from the deep also knows as exxcellence. as powerful as they were, and a small as they were the tricky gigantic follower converted by loaw dagny hardly felt it. less then a fleabite. and so on it continued blasting chuncks out of the island unbidden and soon into its interior, ridding the rock of its puny scampering-for-cover residents. all it knew was overwhelming dimijalce akloue and in the mins of those that pitifully tried to communicate. the white angel commanded him, make him see the dirty filth in the sea. the land above. time to cleanse. and obey. these air-bound gnats knew not oif the seas power. theyd learn. oh theyd learn. dragons not fast enough or the reverberating ones of snotlout shouting "up hookie you muttonhead! up!" came too late.

exxcellence slowly rises its tail and slapped the water sending a gigantic titalwave roaring up toward the assembled knocking a good chunk from the sky. copperwing meanwhile flitting around the back of exxerlences mammoth sea encrusted head out of sight for the moment, thinking. so far fireballs had little to no effect on the thing. while it swatted dozens of unfamiliar dragons from the skies with one swing of its rised arm. and sank countless more with tital waves. it commanded the sea. of course it did, it lived there its entire life. copprerwing took another once over. "its huge.. but not stupid ill give it that. it shouts from earlier and now suggest an adequate level of dragonic. those waves went accidentally created." the follower bucked suddenly catching korin on its horns. the force knocked the wind out of him. suddenly he was free and the massive head was toward him foucusig its attention right at him. it was this very same beast who interrupted/scattered his furys to all corners if the land presumably and the reconciliation of his furys with the enraged muasrdering monstrous nightmare horde and its directors.

where...korin took a deep breath, setting his wingbeats into a shaky controlled rhythm. clutching his claws. abydos his friends death would not be in vain. he blotted out the sick image of perseverins claws tearing into abydos body or the equally murderously pleased expression while she did it. id he was younger weithout the morals he believed fining his pace in existence, the image mightve frightened him. a simple death of a fury life chose to take away. or the fact he couldfnt distinguish valdis freed self when she encountered him the furt time (another stiry the son of kahuakhaun) from the altered fury shed been moe then once. but hed evolved to posses a right from wrong, and it did effect him. the dead eyes stared right at him. the center of attention at least for the next few seconds. copperwingthefurys chance. "hey! help there!. um, youre attacking my dragons! well, _these_ dragons! i dont know them that well! i was wondering-" the submaripper opened its gigantic hole of a ma, korin hurling his swings to one side but it wasnt an attack. a gust of air drawn in then "GNAT! YOU KNOW WHAT I AM?! I AM THE WATERS AROUND YOU! I SERVE THE MIGHTY ONE! COWER BEFORE IT! I AM EXXCELLENCE!"

the latter had to slick his ear frills tightly to his head to dull the roar. itd already repeated its words clearly many such times, a concept called taking apparently not its capability to descend below yelling. where had such a might beast that dwarfed all others been all this time? loaw dagnyd sneered something about it, having a claw in mates of its transfiguration. he shook his head. "listen! listen to me! youre harming innocent dragons! dragons thatd done nothing to harm you! they are now of course! yore breaking apart their homeland. they have little else to go to. and they have flesh and bloods here. theres a symbiotic relationship going on, the likes of wich korin not seen. i dont know about you, but i want to keep-" "YOU WILL NOT BOW? BEGONE GNAT!" the sunbmarippers roar reverberate through the former rulers bones, blasted with exaltation back a ways. so. it would not listen. he didnt notice the outward push become an inward sucking pull as it breathed in air for its matallic blue mile destructing fireballs that surely d do just that more then once for the night fury barely into teenage years.

then an almighty boom hit exxellence full in the eyes followed by more and more. another flying creature was there. "you will **not** harm my. son. not a spark of your flames on him. he belongs to **me** and **i** say no. find some other of the blind yo obliterate. but as long as i have ties to the master i have say in his future. this one does not get the chance to understand us taken away." korin shook himself to awareness startled back to reality at the feminine commanding voice. even more stultified at the being it came from the tainted dragoness calling herself his mother. she was in front of him then, throwing out her wings as if to shield copperwing from any attack and thus fend ff a blow should it come. exxcellence surprisingly held itself still all ten tons of it as it bore those fathomless black pools of irises at the little night furys. pondering perhaps?

"its stilling! now ours chance boys! its not going away willingly so well have to make it! its not chomping any more of my berk to pieces! give it everything you got!" hollowed loudly but firmly a make voice. a burly though not fat two legged on a srcab shaped dragoon led a procession of mounted warriors consisting of a gronckle, a monstersus nightmare, a deadly nadder and a two headed olive green scaled species copperwingd not seen before at the sea beast. toothless his friend and its rider presumably somewhere else or fallen. korin hoped that not the case. the unusual shape of rider bound dragons mustve caught the huge followers attention for it turned its bellow on them. meanwhile korin turned to face his own, relieved mix of emotions on whos side shed fought for, more determined to free this lost and confused dragoness.

* * *

coppewingthefury hed himself, steeled, preparing himself for the moment that hed been both dreading and yearning for, facing the dragon that claimed was his mother, bracing for what was to come. torrid did likewise. a long **long** moment passes, eatchothers gaze only on the other ignoring the chaos all around, unfamiliar dragons surely perishing around them. "torrid...we have to talk." unlike the first times he called her that, the flowers face didnt brighten. instead dark, brooding, stiff. "i know...korin" she substituted the clearly distasteful name, offended. "we do need to. i have been waiting for you to come to me. at last you have the courage to, copper. good. however you are continually trying my patience. how so much defiance wormed is way into that heart of yours, none of wich i recall you ever having when you were little, is a mystery. you see i am fighting on your side, trying to make ends meet, to fix things and-"

the firmer nest ruler brought hos paw down hard. "-and nothing mother. i see what youre trying to do. noble, maybe. but thats not enough. im aware what youre trying to do. but if you think thats going to make me suddenly swap sides, betray everything that i stand for, youre mistaken." the longing in his muzzle was evident, a feeling he didnt try to hide as he held out a paw. loaw zeras eye alit on it warily. "im wiling to become your son again. _if_ you stop all this illusion of getting me to join yours. if you allow me to break you free again. im willing to become that for you. you made your offer. this is mine, torrid. we can be free together and fighting the god protector as one." he fumbled for the words shed tried on him earlier at the arena. "as mother and son."

what was that that shook torrids/loaw zaras wins? a change in air currents? more? "i-i did say that..." she admitted, letting his mistakenness of her true name slide. wearier. having the look of one who couldnt believe this dragnet shed come to retrieve from a foreign blinded land and be in her way was not what she expected. a kind of broken sagging resignation. but of what? korin seized the opening, the hesitation. "yes you did. im willing to become that not so small dragnet you remember. but not like this. not with some over-inflated monster telling you what to do. i cannot. i will not." he told her how hed just let her, overwhelmed at first. how in the end hes glad sghe revealed oit to him. he told her some of what she might've not known; the mass killings under loaw dagny. he told her the parts he wished her to hear. hear and understand.

he hoped to see her expression lighten at the atricitys he and his colony of nest furys, wherever they are, had to suffer time and again. instead it soured. stiffened. darkened. was that a good thing? was she racting? mulling over the things what the night sky made sound glorious wernt really? "youve told me many things, son" she said at last distantly. her gaze snapped down to the next tremendous boom as exxellence finished swatting at the nearest dragons, blowing to oblivion another chunk of the island korind began to call his surrogate home, with dragons he felt called to protect. "many things." korins ear frills rise cautiously. "some of witch sounded convincing. but they are **lies!** all of witch you know are not true. the god protester has a grand future for all of us. i _protected_ you from that follower mindlessly bent on killing you and not giving you a chance."

"i wouldnt have that. i tried helping you along the correct choice by removing your distractions from the picture: they wouldntve helped." "no thats stealthily backstabbing and you know it" countered korin firmly edging closer to the follower "dont pretend its anything else." loaw zara bit her lip just as stiffly "common, copper, you didnt even **know** him. how can you so stupidly care about a dragon in that way? ive tried and tried and tried with you. what gets me, what my leader was correct about it seems ironically, is the fact youre still so... _stubborn!"_ loaw zaras claws shot out at her bitter veghermance, hastily retracted, but not before copperwing saw "even after everything. ive tried to be nice. ive tried to be penitent. ive tried to show you i care. ive attempted to protect you from harm, from dragons influence. and yet you rebuke me. not once. not twice. over and over. denounced me. said you wernt mine by birth, When i obviously am. then tried reasoning with me. make up your mind son." "believe me torrid im trying. but you arnt making it any easier. if you wernt controlled in this horrible way that you come to me in, my insides twist painfully in the worst possible way at the situation, then we could fight this big dragon together. im trying to, torrid. trying to turn this into a positive."

she snorted derisively. "huh. you have an interesting habit of turning things around to see the absolute best in all things. make me at fault for all your transgressions. like im the bad guy here. but all i see is a teenage dragnet that wont accept fate, and come back with me. im not the one to blame. im not leaving here without you. ill do anything to make you understand. ill fight the world for you, just as i once would in my mistaken situation. ill protect you from those that seek to kill you. ill be your alibi in a war of words. ill-" "let me help you?" threw in the nest ruler quickly seeing his chance "turn away from the influence you yourself have been suppressed by to actually choose for yourself whats right and wrong? have a free will? the moon gives you none of tat. how can that be considered living? happy?" "more then you know, son" shrugged loaw zara "more then you know. if only i could convince you to see it." here came the tricky part. the **ugly** part.

"well i wont. so far other then the thwarted sneak attack at someone i care very much about, youve been pretty docile so far. i thank you for that, at least. i dont know if thats some ploy of yours or your leaders to make me slip up, but i did that once already with a devious unlucky meeting of vipres and barely got out of that trap. i dont intend to be forced back into that lifestyle of not thinking freely morally for myself. if you intend on making me-" loaw zara let her wingbeats falter this time disbelieving laughter. "me? make you? copper you got that all wrong. i dont plan on **making** you do anything. in my opinion joining me, with what we have to offer, is a matter of choice. intimidating others like...some beings...is not my preference. had they been here in my place, perhaps they might carry it out their barbaric fashion, and wed be having a very, dare i say it, **unpleasant** conversation right now, with a completely different follower. but i am here and they are not. my leader knew you were here, and saw me as the best possible option for all of us for this long waited acquaintance."

"as soon as i was bonded to see the truth of course" she added as an afterthought in case that slipped his mind. the fury said nothing. loaw zara flapped closer, her turn to hold out a forearm beckoningly. "join us, my son, my precious confused dragnet. i miss you." copperwings eyes flicked to the arm then to her. "i miss you too. but i wont. im sorry." there was nothing more to be said. until that is when a shout from none other then toothless caused them to see the massive matalic blue ball of fire, waiting to take anyone and anything to nonexistence in its way. lost in confrontation between two night furys, their world shrunk to whod give in first and join the other, and failed to keep tabs on the movements of the submaripper. now its fucusd sifted their general direction with a fireball bearing down at them. living on his wits for the past, well forever it seemed, korin without thought shot toward his mother not to attack but to propel her, evil or not, out of the flames way. it worked!

loaw zara not known to react, korins movement upon impact sending her spiraling some ways through the air. korin wasnt as lucky. or maybe he was. purple flame blasts from- a night fury? **-toothless-** slammed into hos side in turn, spiraling him after thew follower. not nearly enough. the gigantic blue ball exploded, sending the doomed dragons and what appeared to be a tiny something-night fury perhaps?- down toward the ocean roiling at the submarippers movements. loaw zara reorientated in the nick of time to see the night fury something pitching toward the waves. "no" she gasped fearing the worst. no no no! her leader loaw veen didnt intend for it to end this way did she or...had she sent her expectant, happy eager follower on a journey doomed o failure, knowing her son, when she received that momentously helpful **wonderful** Piece of information, would never turn?

the thought plunged into her whirling mind like a metal tooth as she dove past that _thing_ , that whisperer of words, _toothless._ rotten no good dragon. "out of my way! thats my son down there! dont even think of joining me! i will hurt you!" she spat viciously like a cournerd animal. as she zoomed fractionally past. an animal thatd been denied in the past day and half by many feelings not all pleasant. now this. she hadnt meant to lash like that but if her son were to die by the thoughtless careless exhalation of something on the same side has her shed never forgive herself. she could believe in her passionate stars all she wanted, as far as her creater came, it couldn't bring copperwing back from the brink.

* * *

the night fguruys vcatr eared head broke the surface. a familiar fury, "no! where is my _son?_ ewhere os copper? ph master twlll me where he _is_!" but tghe god otiteter was silent in her mind, besides its dasy and its opwers of communication weaker. diusytaught loaw zara took a deep lunyfyul and dived. sdhesd sen her son get hot with that gigoantuic faurebakll, or at least the dxoolsiove shocvkwave knowcvjing him into the sea. was he dead? aliobe? somewwwhere in betyween? the sea around hger wasnt al thay deep it turgned our, thge floor pon;y droped to its contentnital slop[e a long wus from tghis iskand. pn0p pner thos other follower of hers stood not fat from the wabes here. she dud find him evenbtyually after several more doves, hewart wrantcing. shwe gtabned his familliar mariked gorm hifing and puffingf fir surfave asd fiur lasbd, eher oiarityvipation in asiduibg anyones aside oiver fir now.

she aimed for area free of unberkiuedvers not sands not on fire, fdumping themselves on the beath. she riutcvhed hoas dlop[ing undsresioide searygging fkit a heartbeat. nome. "itsss onot the ebd" the god otritecrers voice hissed. the end? she spun away from copperwingd fikrm, suddenly anry. "the end? ths ius not the end, oh brilliant enlightened inem i was givin a nission bty rgwe sdoiul you made leader its my ultimnastye responsibility rti convert. she aid hedf be dead., i was xcharged with thaty duty and-" she wgirled alertly audily as a gargly coiughing "torrod. im-im fine, its only a glancinng blow. im not gone." her abxiety liberated isekf friom her form like a wave of relief, seuibg him moving. hearing hios wirfs something broke in her her hgeast. not her feelings. the god ortitecters hold on her mind. sdhe riasred sudenly, markings reverting, the tuingkling sensation ogf rthe bkooflust boiling awy. the need tpo kill: gone. torrid whole and saner. but would she remember? she dripped to all fours recioverig herself, scales slicked with a telltale sheen of sweat.

korin to the side having woken up to find himself on hos back he poked himself up off the ground, every bone insude ascvhjing at the effgirt, feeling like ghed been slapped very hard. hed blacked out instantly om sencery overwhelm before he ht the dea. kiorion cautionslu apriatcghed her caling her nasne wonderting why she fough with him, protected him from harm. ethier hed recieve a a tainted answer a blank stare accompanied by siolencde, fir the nest ruler recognized that rtiar, she 5spnded at long last as of from far away, distant. gaze not on him. "i do renemver fighting. abd silverwuing my hubvanbd wanting nokthinng to do with hus unheaslthy ilk. so i left him and his son, thinking hed be the same way. feeling i wasted a few god teatrs of my life trying to teatch them love abnd rspect and kindlkess. knowing i shouldnt've dinbe that. should not have left copper, poor copper, not in silverwings rash care. i-inecer...thought hed return so twisted after io jeard about his near cakamity oif the nest ruker in the night."

"so rash. i guess i overestimated my husbands asmnition. i mean i kneqw he wanted tio becime rtuler of my nest, git pasd from jaw to jaw like an infestation of miges, was all lot talokled about. just..not nm that fsaion. i saw hiom ckewar out te nest rulker. i stoodf ther on thwt line like he asked. in a wgirl of emotions...cinfusion. should i abhandonm? shoulkd i comply? after eeing wegat his horrile vermilion coiated talons were doing i needed to leasve. them i renmemberds my sion. whereever was copper? had silverwing...gotten rod if him somehow? wa he that vil? he wa qyuite a hganbdome dashing nest fury whgen i chose ho to mate for life weurth. itrs just, he jeiot getting more infgkated, arrogant, began berating myself and outr son befotr i knew itl. became dominant mined. talked about cirecting this, fixing thatr. escalated when the nest ruler didnt take his suggestions. im sure she had her reasons, all of us including myself respected her, but not _him_ apparently. couldnt fathom somone wiser, longer lived then him, rather then fear and control. him next muttering direct control of her position to distinguish himself, how he felt abandoned, and this annoying _skitiiva_ whoever she is."

"id had enough and I was forever done and left him." korin winced remembering those memories torrid described but he dare dudnt inturruipt hoes risig at the tone sfhe used. tis msy not be loaw zara talking. "so many jumbled memroes. then giving in thinking humoring silverwing one last time weouldnt hrt. little did i know whart o git mysekf into. the rest becane a bvkue to me. asnd no ive fekt like ibe worken uop from a dream, wondering whats going on. i feel like ove done many terroble things i know i should not and copper..." he waited as she cane to grips doiced originally proded her to talking to the sands. shgew looke up and saw him ekation surged into her exoression, like sdurged back. he knew ansolutelky what she must be experiencing. he held his wings open as if to embrace. "mother." the firmer folower ruished over and talked into him beaten. brtushed. aglnys of tgier oem faced. separated for years. evil leaders not to mention other naturlal circumstances dominated their lives. now tihgether. "son! oh how swell and grown up youve become. oh my. im so proud of you." korin couldnt contain his sobs of joy even in the midst of a battle going on here it fekt good to exoereanmce her joy. she remembered! she _remembered_.

* * *

the inbound wind whistled through the loosely folded wings of the muotisoecies of dragons gatheredd where the lasnd dropped sharply off a cvliff and met thew sea. torrod and copperwingthefury near the efge and suitmrky, thre mysterious unnmaed green headd dragoj meatliuf. and of couese thjer hero of ot all, in korons opinioj anyway, the one to have recurred/discoverered him both physically and moraly from a life of despondency: toothless! no wirds been spoken after awghile, the sun was beginning its fierce roise to the east. torrid and korin both thought it best tri avoid unwanted attention to depart in the predawn light. hugs ofverying entuusiastic degrees were exchanged, though toothles didnt take part in the farewell to korins mother. his real mother, as it turned out all along. being free at last were she thought was his death broke ontonycterys scheming hold over her, fearing shed lose all memory once again, surprisingly didnt.

all copperwing felt was relief: relief that torrids news preferred was true, relief that things could go back to normal for this foreign two legged friendly land across the sea. relief he could go home with a freed follower in tow and get to wirk correcting the plague of lies back home. who knows what loaw veens manipulatind stretched over the land he once knew, or her two other disastrous leaders in the scales. hed warned his mother the journey backd be long and auderous. shed snorted good nbaturdly and brushed her wings with his. take that loaw veen! he tried pushing away the heavy feelings of foreboding he knew greeted him when he returned, not knowing what transpired in his abnsensse. that he could affirt to blank out until lster full on when it came. or rather, _she._ "well" broke in torrid with a lash of her tail "i guess this is the end of our journey. this is where we two must take our separate paths. my courageous dragnet says theres a threat on our kind we must address."

"i heard" replied toothless at the sane time korin made face at being referred as a dragnet, and gently reminded the larger of it. "and listen im sorry toothless or whatever your Name is. i-" "i know" said the fury male, though he neglected to add more making the move to return the gesture. something in his wizened orbs beyond his years told korin a part of himd hold a grunge for attempting to kill him, the act of such not forgotten. he wondered what vast menoertyies and experiences toothless big brain behind the scaly ebon pelt contained and knew. the deadly nadders criwened head shot the night fury a funny look but it was trhe twoi head that spoke. one thatr mad korin startle at the similarity of one invisible entitys speech, wondering fir a moment if this was its earthly foirm. "our dialogue issss not the besstl. firgive usss. weve been under the trickssstery if the tewo legged twinssss for long time ssssop know not gow to adresssss firignersss. what our sssart hiocup bound friend is sssaying iss he knowsssss. and will try to forgive. we were filling ourssselvess full at the time. jussst arrived to corner her with asstrids sssrtortmfly." '

"of course they were" added the gronckle merrily with a twinge of cheekyness. "well good luck on your journeys we do not fly." that made korin try one last time. "are yuo and yours sure that we couldnt be allowed to take you with us? or at keadt some reinforcements to aid our cause?" toothless remained uncharacteristically silentm eyes remaining in torrids edgy face, a quiet tempered resentment there; korin knew her attack had changed his perception of them being here from merely an exciting descovdery to something more grim. he couldnt help the situation because he didfnt knew at the time or blame the fury for feeling that way. the olive green two head rolled its euyes-all four if them. "mannerssss lack him apparently. you sssee-" "we go where our riders go" explained meatlug brightly "so im sorry but awe cannot. thry determined where were needed. and even if we explained your cause, they Canannot understand dragonic language or grasp our gestures if we tried. many treats out thre exist for us. this drago bloodvist for example, is wicked, and well, **bloody.** nasty flesh asnd blood. blegh we must remain and help our own. but we understanbd if you wusgh to leace, though i myself was starting to like you..both of you" she said including torrod in her nod, despite facts the dragines had dyuped her in trying to go after toothless.

she truly did believe the best in dragons, domestic or not. there was another few silent out moments of awkward silence then korin spread hos wings gesturing for torrid to do the same. hed faced some truly revealing factors here and even before crash landing on this island and he liked to think hed become stronger ecause if it. it was time to go home. "goodbye fury of nights. may journey be well" stormfly said simply. korin took a long last look at his assembled closest friends. toothless, silent, though so was the nadder. meatlug all waiting to flicker to life and cast warmth on those to gather in its essence. the green scaled two headed dragon a friendly nod. and- "wheres the fretty bad tempered red one? i thought he was part of your gang?" stormfly shrugged as if that was good enough. it was the night fury who answered. "ah him. with his unaware rider no doubt. probably doing all sorts of things that didnt involve within the vicinity of her or actually being here, hookfangs gotten his rebellious behaviors from snotlout and the other way around. so who knows, but we will tell him you kindly said hello."

torrid hung back patiently while her son told them how he wished their riders and this hookfang the best of luck against their bloodvist threat. "and i have a nest to reclaim after all and it isnt going to solve itself. loaw veen is a very powerful adversary. and im determined to my last to defeat her." the four dragons promised they would. still korin hesitated to leave. felt like hed practically met them yesterday. "you should probably go before the whole of berk arouses" reminded the male fury. torrid was already aloft in a woosh of wind. a last long look and then he joined his mother. then they were away across the waves, hearts set on their mission and were gone. the four watched them go. "night furys" said meatlug dreamily somewhere in the background "who wouldve thought theres more of them out there. looks like youre not the only one toothless." "you know i am ccuriousssss. you are the inpervioussss indomitable dragon here. beating threat after threat. with hiccup boy by your sside. sssso how clossse _did_ that female of your sspeciess get to killing you in your sssleep?" toothless walked away without offering the hideous zippleback barf and belch a reply.

* * *

the call was rised. torrid and korin frantically wondered what happened upon making the exhaustive trip home. soon happened upon denix replay who was surprised to see therm, alive at all and imminencely glad they were back. they exchanged information, how shed met aranidae as expected to find he clutched the dark mirror. korin cringed at the memory of ontonycterys using that on valdis and vipre and another furu of gis. denix began leading the threesome east. as she relayed the rest of her story. "three battles? in so short a time? how did you make it?" torrid asked astounded. korin detected no falstivities in her tone. of course any praise aimed at the dagoness was bound to do something to her head. the furyess puffed up to her full height, straightened her wings, raised her head proudly and flashed a cocky denixy smile.

"because im denix-replay. its what i do. you can thank me later." she listened, making it seem as if she was listening with more then half an ear frill until he reached the part what went on between torrid and copperwing, with torrid filling in between when korin became breathless. that got a reaction. denixs snout twisted into an expression the former nest rulerd not seen on her before. "mother and son? you mean to tell me **this...her**...is your **mother?** for reals? youre not pulling a trick dirt clod out my ear are you? the overly overprotective fury thats always been your second shadow practically since the moment deathbringer winged off a year ago claiming hed be the nest ruler of moonyhisser? her?" they both confirmed its reality. "wow. i guess i was under the impression of something else." she said strangely polite. korin gave her a funny look. denix returned it mock archly.

"what? ogh yah im working on my manners. an experience tought me i needed them. cant a dragoness get a break?" see didnt say where she took them but denix gasp when they reached a medium sized lake ringed by burn spots marked the end if the destination. she shot toward the lake to see what she feared to be true: the boulders were gone, molted melted pools of runny _sticky_ fire. currently she knew only one dragon could do that. shed fought it and nearly lost (aranidae tought that thing _well_ on night fury instinctual behaviors, curse him) without their help of..."dragon? where are you? i know youre still cowering around here like a weasel! excuse my manners! oops! im not!" dragon came slopping out if the lake like a sad defeated little disheveled hippo. a few raw spots suggested a battle. but he wasnt all that little and he certainly wasnt the arrogant butcher korin remembered, but he still startled deeply at the sight if him, hissing dangerously.

when would the spine tingling surprises cease? "deathbringer loaw nezere alterious. you" denix whipped toward korins fierce expression and baked away from dragon in muted shock. so thats who her resembled, shed been in too much of a tussle with sleuther to notice his complete identity. it was him allright. while dragons slightly dampened one at copperwing like he never heard or seen someone so small in his life. korins claws shot out. "that is your name. dont play with me. i know your minds infected. pretending it isnt is only going to make it worse for you." "what did he do?" asked torrid, unaware of him or his intermingled past with her son. denix condsutered rolling her eyes but forced words through her gritted extended teeth. she was trying.

"oh hes a tale, let me tell you sister. hes killed many a clueless cat eared lizard in my freedom days. apparently it has something to do based on an old grudge with nightflight betraying him in battle, and blames it all on nona as the instigator of it. was the sole unfreed survivor to remain a follower to moonyeyes up there. claimed to want leadership, yawn. generally being a big whiny-baby and fatheaded and evil. you get the picture." dragon shook himself vigorously and stamped his back legs in the grass to get dry. looking wounded. but a confused version of it. and if all og them torrid stepped past the two both to within clawswipe of the brute who towered over her, beginning to understand. she ignored her sons plea to back away. "shh. i get it. you probably did many regrettable unavoidable deeds under a wicked leader that gave you no choise in the matter and told to to do them. you couldn't stop yourself i know. i was in your position. but dont despair. youre free now. youre free." she threw her soon a scything look, one of few she ever did, as if challenging him. this was copperwings seventh shocking revelation that day.

* * *

they were up on exhausted wings, one member larger and moving again. korin let denix. hed no idea where what state things were in the days of his asbsense. not knowing was his biggest nagging worry. "where did she go? is she after me? am i about to be a roasted lizard in my sleep?" pressured denix replay over a wing harshly, forgetting her commitment to niceties. she licked her jaws emberessed "ermm. i meant how did you fumble this one up?" if she was emberesed dragon flat out felt as if hed been trod flat by an elefant. an elephant oif guilt even larger then he himself. he didnbt answer long enough for denix to throw a "well?" at him. "ah. well you see i was kinda sorta a bit worried-" "no. just tell me what happened? spare me the meticulousness play by platy bits. youre a big boy you can do it." he told them skeuther woke up and startled dragon. thoughts on appearing intimidating out the cave entrance the moment she started hissing and blowing sticky flames at his face.

"so i jumped in the lake. yucky. but it saved me. the red being didnt have interest in me i suppose after that and burned off the boulders you and i placed on her and flew off. please dont ask me where." denix shot him a disgusted 'thats it?' look. "well there was one more thing. ah what had it said? _you loathe the day i find your insulting friend. a rainy day will hear of my defeat. he made me see. he will make eternity tself see._ i tink she tried to sound threatening but all thay came out were alot of zs. so it didnt feel that scary" dragon offered. "well i guess it doesnt matter now does it? whats done is done and i only needed to get far away from her fiery wrath to to do some spying of my own. and to find old friends." korins somber hopes rose at the strange word from such a cocky set of jaws. normally so condescending and sarcastic. he noticed beneath him the land becoming lusher. woodier. "where are we going? who are these friends of yours? will they help us be rid of the moons influence? im all for those type of frinds."

denix flashed her a crooked smile. "you could be saying that. some allies of mine, apparently not my own if you get what i mean." dragons utter look of blank confusion drew a helpless snort from denix. she proceeded to lunch right into news of the deadly nadder alliance through their local nest ruler whos become fed up with aranidaes control (another story spines tell no tales) over them when he was sole leader. "aranidae" muttered korin grimly. denixs eyes slid to the nest ruler. "yah, so anyway he was there too. attacked me like an emboldened bully child before the naddersd forced him to surrender or be terminated. boy, would i have loved that outcome, wouldve made things so much easier. but thats not the most interesting part. get a load of this." shed informed the pair the idead been originally relayed to the 'deaf ears' obuekhov arytiss in a cave by one of her nadders. told to seek denix.

"why me i have absolutely no clue. maybe she was getting back at me for some reason. or maybe because i was too brilliant and pretty for her and this was her way of admitting i was right." korin ignored the attempt to get a rise out of him. his old heartache swelling at the fate of obuekhov. last hed seen her, shed been unre the thrall pof loaw azeros voice and barely got himself out if there before the monstrous nightmares swarmed in (another story enemy of my enemy.) he couldnt stop himself. "is she alright? i havent seen her in forever. have you seen her?" "i-have not. im sorry" said denix genuinely.

"anyway were headed to the realm of deadly nadders. not so deadly. they said to call if needed by their nest ruler. they will recognize my pelt patterns so we should be fine. i was there before. safe passage should be guaranteed." the rest of their tired journey was spent in silence. out of nowhere nadders soaring from the tall trees below and moved to encircle them halting them. five nadders. all none to happy too see night furys. but they didnt attack as korin feared they would. "hey there." denix hissed sharply. "ssst. no nest ruler. let me handle this. hey, it is i, oh thee mighty denix replay of the ages." one of the nadders asked why they came here, not impressed by her brand of humor. "were expected. your ruler of the nest knows of me. said to come here if ever needed their alliegance. i came" said denix in all seriousness "and by all the dragons i hope its not too late."

* * *

leader ontonycterys stood in a cave in copperwings former nest, tracing, running, her talons licking almost reverently across the letters shed carved with little effort thanks to her muscly forearms some weeks ago at the start of her rise to glory and might. look at where she was now? undisputed leader. _half_ disputed, one little problem runing about out there stiring up trouble hindered that completion, but soon addressed. with time came results. she still reflected on what her albino subordinated said before shed died: _you're nothing more then a foolish dragoness whose intellect got us nowhere accept a few dozen believers! My way we wouldve had hundreds!_ y _ou sit there on your throne of kahuakhauns stupid sons nest prattling suoririorily on and on about plans thatll never get set in stone! the enemy is defiant. defiant: more then we as believers ever thought theyd be! I will be leader again! I wont just free you like azeros intends! I will tear you apart long and hard and slow, so you feel each moment of pain i felt sitting by idle while nothing got done! i will set things Right! that is a existence without you in it!_

but she was so wrong in so many narrow minded ways, like most leaders before ontonycterys were. despite what what the blind out there in the very alive rebellion rearing its head called korin, oh yes, shed given loaw zara struct instructions to keep her only begotten son alive, or her own breeders of darkness, her subordinates perseverin/aranidae wee not a threat to her. not anymore. she dealt with the most brutal of night furys. she wouldnt be going arind haunting anyone's nightmares with murderous terror any longer. the two followers flanking the leader ether side insured the second didnt try anything involving catching her off guard: permanent guarantee loaw azeros couldnt startle her, not that much dud. ontonycterys was alwaysd prepared. in fact two or three pawsteps ahead of the opposition.

shed returned here. no use tracking that slinky sneaky traitor. let the plotter plot. hed blocked his mind from communicating with him or knowing his whereabouts. she wasnt worried. hed try something. whebn he dud, hed have to come here, to her. and when he did, jealously flaunting that dark mirror around lile an arrogant fool, shed have him. _and_ her stolen property. nether did whatever plans young korin son of silverwing slapped together to stop her. shed seen and met the the nest ruler personally in her new enlightened state (another story nightmare of a problem, battling the monstrous nightmare attack. shed let perseverin make that alliance. there was mutual advantage exploitation to be gained there, all the littler unguarded moments in the enemy and even in her subordinates behavioristic mannerisms alike. witch brought her here, im preparation what was to come.

the bodiesd long been removed to avoid the smell but the carving was still there along with the vermilion ontonycterysd triumphantly took from the bodies: her first kill to insure she survived discovery. "mmm yes. _where i asm going glory and power await_ " shed offered those, subtle, so it didnt sound like a grand defiant-ready declaration. none taken it. not surprising. the defiant was just too stubborn,. particularly copperwing and his closest still living alies. "witch is wht time pending theyll have to be destroyed, so that through my vision and tactility, a new land is created in the stars image. where my children seed it with new life. once opposition is wiped clean, purified, the young can once again flood this land, if defects occur we can accommodate." "its a pity those of us that fled the red dragons near expansion of our nest as we knew it refused to see the true paths and remained, great leader." one of the followers spoke up, loaw vizor cicada.

loaw veen hummed noncommittally in her purple throat, backspines straightening. "funny that youd mention that. seeing as all is going according to plan. by **my** design. i clouldntve hoped fir a better play of things. what you see as problematic, i see as progress. what you see as doom and treachery come to lay waste to our belief, i see as a claw waiting to scoop up the blind and crush their hopes. i do not want sniveling subservience. i want destruction of their hopes and their bodies. i already killed loaw dagny. her time was nigh, and shed never see my reasoning anyway." the follower ducked her amber head submissively. "i mean no disrespect." "no you do not. but your opinion is merited, to those simple of mind. i understand your point. you fear the opposition, and what it could do to you. you fear me of what in capable of. you fear your creater. we all have a reason to be of it."

ontonycterys ran her paws over her doomsday carving and half turned on her haunches to lock eyes with loaw vizon. "tell me child, of what do you fear?" cicada didnt meet her eye. "well i fear theyll lie to me and take away my bond with my master. its power feel good through my veins. i do not want to relinquish. i deem its what most of us go through great leader." she turned back to the carving. "yes its what every of my children fear in some firm. that is why you follow and i lead. the master saw i possessed strong of heart, achieving great lengths to meet my goal. the masters goals. we must be prepared." fuhrer musing was cut off as a call reverberated audibly through the canyons. "a skrill approaches! a skrill approaches!" ah, loaw dagnys electric puppet. her _second_ electric puppet if ontonycterys memory served correctly. a second mad grab at futile authority and revenge. a sad one really. her day was long gone.

preseverin refused to see it until her last. her spy aviisd reported her mission to obtain one in a two legged village, before shed heard from him no more. presumably her subordinate killed her mercilessly as she always did to her foes. cordon and aviis were a test, thats all. brave sacrifices to the master. the leader could create more followers with time. the perseverins confused enraged puppet clearly didnt understand. his hollow leader might've perished by loaw veens doing, but his mind was not. a simple matter of correction, and hed belong to her for the coming battle surely arriving at her cave entrance/nest in the next few weeks. or days. and it was **her** nest. korin couldnt have it so easily. at the same time the god protectors voice lanced in the three night furys minds. "the blind ssshall come sssoon. clear them from the land." the leader gestured to her guards and headed to the entrance. "come. destiny awaits my children." she recited under her breath the final words shed carved for the unbelievers to see. " _i advise you to choose the right decision before you time is up, dragons. where i am going, destruction awaits. i...am loaw...veen...ontonycteryssssssssss."_

* * *

denix shifted on her paws for the umpteenth time despite the fact it was plush green grass here, gave in finally and sat down with a disgruntled growl. korins eyes rested ion her. "there. do you feel better now?" he and torrid rested on their undertummys peacefully as the deadly nadders conferred mutely in the background in the heart in their territory. probably why were they intruding and what to do with them. the species mild hostility clearly detected they were not happy. probably wanted them out and on their way as soon as possible. or...on their way out of this land, witch ever made them gone faster. this korin read on the crowned faces of the nadders who passed them. "denix was paranoid and a mirror image tight back" thought the ex nest ruler "then again she always looks that way." at his earlier aloud tease she got up to all fours and started pacing her little muddy trodden path of grass, ear frills flat, orange doted wings close to her sides. witch then further aggravated the nadders.

"no, and i dont appreciate the jibe...only i do that. they did this last time i was here. whats taking these things so long? for a whole tribe that talks. like. this. every third word or every _no_ word so i can barely understand their dialogue, theres sure hordes of gibbering back there. what takes an eternity to come to conclusion "i need you. were hurting. help us." they were hurting. what awful things his nest furys be undergoing? whilst he knelt here apprehensively powerless to come to their rescue? were was the head nest ruler? as of hearing his thoughts one of the discussing nadders stomped over gruffly and glared at them. denix pointedly. "be still. you irritate. nest ruler come shortly." and went back to its huddle. denix replay gave korin an even moodier 'they dont talk much see what i mean?' look sitting back down ridged.

words like spies and tricksters didnt improve anyone's mood listing in on the occasional floated word. "if i were to turn on my perfectly unsheathed back, would i find a nadder dart lodged in it soon after?" muttered denix replay even darker. it took a **long** time. dragon made the mistake of getting up to stretch hos back hind legged: one if the deadly nadders spun top face him immediately and growled. the big fury quickly sat down. this was their territory thought korin. they must respect it. one sutch manipulative leaderd payed a visit here in hopes of converting the lot, setting them on edge as a whole long after. a nadders undersided colorful spectrum wings soared overhead, thumping down between the nadders and their guests. words and whispers were exchanged then faced them. "party of four i see" she said disapprovingly eyeing korin torrid and dragon a look of such. dragon squirmed under the gaze. she lingered on him. "these are untainted i hope?" denix jumped in confirming they were just dandy and fine, thanks, before copperwing could answer naturally.

she made a doubtful gesture with her wings. korin judged by her expectant though not overbearing air commanding respect shes the nest ruler, the others deferred as such. a moment later she answered them. "i am sabrinathemorpher. nest ruler. deliberateor. authoritate. ruler. lately, ally. i expected only one, but i see three here. i proposed alliance with fury of night. you came" she noted voice losing its hostility. korin watched denix- replay as she motioned for then to not speak. completely stright faced. a figure of submission. could there be redemption after all? "why four?" she inquired. "because we flew over the sea long and hard, picked them up along the way and came here begging for help. our kind is in trouble. we fought you once before when i was lost and confused for a time. just please...if you are our allies...please help. if not...ill turn somewhere else, to those that might actually lend a wing."

said copperwingthefury nolebally rising to his full height. those grey and black bands on his muzzle appeared the faintest of challenges. "dragons are most lickly fighting and dying right now, out there somewhere. in caves. in forests. at my own nest even. its time the moons reign on all life stop. if im the only one to do that so be it. but im going in there. if you were in my scales youd do the same anything to stop it." a long muted came and went. dragon held his breath. a muffled chirruping came from inside sabrinathemorpher. it took korin moments top realize she was laughing. "your wit fierce. i like. we too are tired of forced control. with you we are. tell us when and where you need us." denix to his right threw up her paws in surrender. this was beyond her.

* * *

the band of four was on the m,ove yet again, three more joining korins determined posse. sabrinathemorpher and two protectors because if her position, as much as korin got the idea they wre weary of thier kind in general should they cross ther nest ruker in some dorty fasion. thiey sdiudnt wuestuinb their nest rulers decision to leave the rest of their colony meet korins hopefully gathered nest furys remaining two days from now while she traveled alone. the same couldnt be said of dragon. while he felt okay with his own, looking around now the orange dotted furyess and the smaller one giving off the aura of leadership seemed just fine as if the best of friends, the newcomers certainly made him uneasy. he whined his doubts about the idea off double crossing hs kind when no one save it. theoretically the idea held weight. but it sailed right over the other threes heads it seemed. hed try once more. "do we really have to bring them with us? arent night furys or whatever we are enough?"

the small one in front didnt bat an ear frill. "absolutely. the more allies we have in the bayle ahinst loaw veen the better our chances of susess. i want to defeat her. maybe enough numbers will cause her to rethink her status and back down." "or _maybe_ , mr bravetail, shell find it an exuse to demoralize us even more. evber thought about that one?" threw in denix seeking the opening salvo of mild rebuke. dragon pretty much thought the same sentiment. so rather then voicing it he swallowed his worry. "may i ask where you're taking ourselves to? probably not straight o the bad dragon? i dont like her." if he thought that option into the realm of the 'pincusion makers' was bad enough, the next one was even worse. "the monsterous nightmares. their horde. i made a forgiving act. they perused us across the land to the edge of the sea and just about that time the raging influence theyd been subjected to lifted. turns out its not what mother and you went through. entirely natural."

"i dont believe it myself firstly. but they came to me apologizing, hoping for forgiveness. perseverin interrupted it before i got too far with them. her massive beast we fought at the island we came from scattered them in fright along with my furys. where...s-she..ended abydos life." torrid hovered closer to whisper unintelligible wiurds in korins ear to comfort him. he protested hugely at the news they were heading back to those creatures reluctantly dragging himself along. "had anyone seen how eerie is been since our meeting this vanity obsessed night fury?" commented korins mother softly out of the blue, earning an offended look from denix "its been..odd. im freed and i think i can see the aura of those that are tainted. if the land is as bad as you say copper id think the place crawling with infected dragons. was i wrong?" she wasnt. sabrinathemorpher made a sound to catch korins attention and pointed her head. he looked.

"what? i dont see-" "fury of night" said one of her escorts craiiing its neck to look behind. korins hopes rose slightly as five dots appeared into focus. could his regenerate band be gathering attention so soon from his scattered nest furys. surely it was a few of them. they came into rapid focus, flying, no _speeding_ at them. he frowned uneasily were that in that much of hurry to greet him? they tired and sought protection on them? dud they have something important to tell? theyd flown a long way, korin and torrid. darkness was beginning to set in, not long now the dreaded moond rise the direction korins band headed: the nightmare hordes present gathering spot at the recently erupted volcano. all of a sudden the air turned purple. five pinpricks of light. the next thing he knew torrid smacked into him smothering him with her ebon wings, hearing her hiss in pain as several somethings in turn hit her.

"off off off. we need all the help we can get. that was all well and good, korins _second_ _shadow_ , but we need all the bodies right now. they arent here to pat us on the backspines and send us on our way." denixs muffled voice cane. "i recon they are on patrol or loaw veen sent them." the nest ruler inclined her head to korin...saw him nowhere at the moment and deferred to denix. "odd friends if yours? more?" "more like very disillusioned bullied tortured lab rats under the grubby thumb of queen high-horse." sabrinathemorpher gave her a blank look. "yes" the dragoness huffed avoiding the rain of fireballs the nadders snapped ri attack posture, tailspines open ready to fling. "but i only see five of the brats and seven of us. we have them outnumbered" denix crowed. she was wrong. suddenly the party of seven was hammered from above. fresh out if his mothers wings copperwing looked up. seven more followers barreled down directly in to of them. that made a dozen to contend with. loaw veen indeed played her cards well.

the ex nest ruler recognized a few of them, one by name as a former adviser. they were definitely from his nest. he dive to avoid a fireball. this group was unusually coordinated, silent and methodical in attacking, all accept this one, who seemed to be the advocate of the group, his reasoning clear on the rythmatic attack. "hello dragnet. greetings from loaw veen" said korgan "i hope youve a mighty fine time getting this far in scrounging together supporters for your cause. admirable. but it ends here. are you tired of fighting a battle that can not be won?" "nope.. just getting strayed. not a tiny bit tired" denix swiped into korgans neck causing him to retreat with a howl. he turned on torrid. "whats this? a follower helping her son? did our belief fall on dear ear frills that soon? you belong to us. to the god protector, you make it angry."

"you dont know what it feels. your brains been too polluted by its will you dont have a soul left nor some emotional capacity to understand anything bneyind convert or kill. i see you havent learned anything." spat denix, confronted with two followers barring her way. korgan snarled at the jibe swiping at torrids wings. "who are you to speak out against the most wisest brilliant createer or all things? youre inferior next to the god protector. with willing submission it will make you great and powerful. slander it and it will destroy you." torrid wasnt that good at claw combat. she did her best. someone shouted-dragon maybe what they intended to do with them. "the last actually. all accept for him" korgan scratched scales off torrid, nodding at hers son. "our leader has reasons for wanting him alive. the god protector told me you were here. in turn she told us. she thinks its wiser to get rid of the witnesses in the long run before the young ones sentimental backstory can drain any more unnecessary resources."

"yah well you can take your thoughts and-" the rest of her speech was drowned out by the loud warlike squawking of the nadders as they started flinging darts. korgan hovered out of torrids talomsreatch, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "hmmmm. deadly nadders eh? how many did the young one manage to get for his cause to fight us? our leader would be very interested to know. do tell, defector." torrids face twisted angrily at her son referred to in that manner lunging at him claws outstretched. a small smile laced korgans jaws. "have it your way. ontonycterys finds out everything eventually." "she wont find out bout you" smiled denix replay barreling into the follower, trading blows with torrid in him. "sorry about that, chap." korin spoke a few times trying to reason with the breeder of darkness as they attacked his friends, shoving him away and shrugging off the blows he managed to land.

they wernt deep ones. dragon was in the worst shape. the followers didnt hesitate going in fort the kill. "so huge and so stupid" finally sneered one. he promptly dove to land intending to cower. "all the easier to die there": the follower taunted diving as well. sabrinathemorpher had a fine time playing silent dragon as her three assailants did the same. a deft flick of her tail left and right and the two there clutched at their throats as darts appeared in each. she rushed the third. shed gotten what shed hoped for: the surprise and shifting of its confidant manner it could win. the net ruler wasnt stupid. "you give up easy or hard way?" her foe growled and came in closer for settling that vendetta. "hard way it is" said sabrinathemorpher, waiting waiting. whirled to bring her spiky filed tail cracking sickeningly up the length of the followers back through its head, piercing through. it pitched from the sky without a sound.

she turned seeking her next opponent half wild with battle lust and saw him hovering there, other combatants too busy holding their own to notice. an abnormally large monstrous nightmare was beside it, her red wings dwarfing him. it took a moment to shift through currently known night fury faces to find a match. "i like the way you fight" he said smoothly "you waste no time driving your point home. or should i say points? rather sharp arnt they? we are the same. i showed you once before." he swung his tail around...there they were the telltale spikes jutting out at places, some she saw contained none, dried caked vermilion in its place. that outta hurt. he followed her gaze. "yes. the scars life eventually takes from us. dont worry about it, if you are concerned. i have more then enough to cover the loss." sabrinathemorpher eyes narrowed, her tail lashing the air widely. the smaller fury chuckled. "oh, you think im here to fight you. nonono. im here to _join_ you...or rather...for you to join _me"_ grinned loaw azeros aranidae charmingly.

* * *

"ya think chief got the information we needs from the lad?" asked a voice in the still night. "hush" the second voice admonished. "chief said no noise. were to wait on his orders, then take the villagers by surprise. take hostages. wipe them out of too troublesome. da chiefs got it covered." "yah but witch one?" the two armed men, cautious though they may be wernt early cautious enough. "oh really does he?' said a quiet rough bit very authoritative third voice to their left, just as a meaty pair of hairy hands shot out of the night, clamping their helmeted rams-horns heads together. "i think alvin hired a pair of daft pug-ugly ducks to do his bidding doing the grunts job to me. not nearly the strutting stuff us real vikings are made out if." the two outcasts slumped obviously to the packed earth unable to offer their opinions on the matter. bork the bold stepped out of the curved corner of the chefs servants shacks quarters dusting off his hands satisfactorily. motioning behind him all was clear.

"yah didnt think so. thanks for agreeing with me as custom boys. outcasts" he uttered "still as dumb as they are dim." he wasnt alone. following suit was a gaggle of slap shod armed men and woman of his village, getting the driop on the invasion underway when an unusual loud commotion near the blacksmiths stall and its startled yelp hasty cut off alerted borks chiefly nature. something four. something with picky horned helmets and way too many missing teeth in it. outcasts. he and his groupd taken out quite a few patrols. being raid in the stark middle of the night wasnt uncommon. exactly opposite. it took effort to drive the raiding villagers that came ready to pillage away. borks village tangled with alvins tribe lately. twice in sheeprustlin raids and once on flameblues behalf (borks memory was sharp as the sharpened axe of bludgeoning his enemies into the ground, however in certain aspects as blueflames actual pronunciation it wsa sorely lacking) most recently when the then-interns hunted for boar and half its interns ended up getting captured by the outcasts for Freya knows what reason.

bork hadnt been able to get the while answer from the bragging teenager in their lot and too mad with flameblue to ask. 'mad' was an understatement. hed shunned the kid and slightly less so to his comrades for even gettin' caught in the first place. they were vikings! or at least _pretend_ to. thor. those memory's still bit sour on the chieftains tongue. "where to now chief?" asked a fame former intern, a young pimply adolescent fresh out of the arena with her helmet jammed down so far over her eyes its a compete wonder she could see where shes going at all. bork hadnt **asked** for her to come along, then assign the girl hadnt necessarily ageed to syay behind when borks village got the Slip alvin was here. some said she could see the future. bork was sure if that anymore of that then the farmhands supply of grazing yacfks stopped smelling to high heaven and pooped in a place that _wasnt_ right where his foot often planted itself when he did a cecus on their livestock.

"you three. claim their weapons so theyll be unarmored. then drag them off to my pleasant dungeon. tie them up extra vigilantly. will partake the trades if alvins men have hostages. threes sure to be the clash of battle here very soon. the rest come with me. its time to see what yhe outcasts were planning" its chief twiddling his grime encrusted thumbs deviously. several times bork or one of his keen cohorts spotted the danger, taking down several more of alvins guards before they could get a warning off. "sir. ova hera" urgently whispered a lady. bork turned. a yellow glow between the last two hits appeared to be firelight and the shadows of many man shaped silhouettes. presumably armed to the teeth. "think we can take em?" said a man cautiously enthusiastic.

the chief made an agreeable motion then halted as new thinner dagger armed man stride into the firelight. "still refusing to talk, allster? let **me** art him. i had a rather distracting tangle with the kid who wishes he were a viking years earlier. im sure i can get him to talk. this little tea party humoring the host youre throwing wouldn't hold a cage of flies. **my** way..."the familiar deranged voice trailed off. it sounded liker he was intimidating someone. leering down at a seated figure borkd assumed was a midget who was...blasted cursed Loki-flameblue-indeed the man was. "well **my** way, oh cherished one by beardy al here, will win us some results. you start spilling secrets-now!-or ill start spilling of a different kind. "'honored guest' by my friends from the tough lands, the outcast tribe, doesnt grant you any special privileges with me. start talkin" bork gestured to his group of warriors huddled close behind. soon itd be time to drive the invaders away.

* * *

dagur the derangeds voice in his boiling berserk tendencies had risin a tad louder then intended. alvin the treacherous threw his recently acquainted ally, mostly out of what the other could do for the other solely, a warning look/. a look with dagur deliberately ignored. blueflame shoved the containing by now cold food a little further away imagining what kindns of get dead quick tortures had in store. unless it was the food tray, his idea of a joke sen coming a mile away, in wich case a not very good one. "look. is already told you, mr berserker chief. thats all i know." inwardly he sighed. there was just no reasoning with closed minded men(or women, the young man saw a fierce few female thin lipped faces in the rear of alvins group, as unpleasant faced as thier chief) they only understood violence, mead ir the next smash and raid. the occasional death of dragons when got in their way or out of spite. they shouldn't be like that. john felt like dragons were smsrter thegm that, more then intelligent.

why coudnt vikings be the same? there had to be greater morals then that. it was his job to to give the dragons a chsnce. he felt a bond with them. a connection. preserving itd be a bounous. dagur whipped out one of his namesake weapons and pointed it at him. face a hardened dark mask. "lie! i think you **do** know more about dragons. it has often been said there is a fine line between genius and insanity. never was a truer word spoken. villains like me are geniuses. we are often insane. and oroud of it. insanity coupled with power inspires fear and terror in the hearts of the ineriour and dragons like nothing else." blueflame caught a shifting of shadows outside the circle of firelight amid the mingling of the berserkers and outcast tribes. "now! tell me what i want to know. teatime is over. pleasantarires never amounted to nothing. it is what it is a waste if time. youll give me what i want to know right now or-"

"attack!" the bellow, rusty with age, shattered the hushed stillness. caught by surprise, half the men turned too meet sward on sward (in some cases maces bludgeons or axes) with bork the bolds ready three dozen warriors leading the charge. the others tightened their protective circle around tghier chiefs. more pure from gap i the buildings to join the battle cry. john could see that dagurs men were more prepared then alvins. probably itching for a fight in the first place when they got here and expected it. quick as a maddened bull, or rather, an insane one, the berserker chief whipped out his sward with a frustrated growl and sng one haded atr blueflame. he only just missed, as the viking tripped over the food platter in his haste to escape. "youre clunky tricks are a nucienxe one time to many." he threw the dagger with the other hand targeting blueflame between the eyes.

"it ends here boy. i think pretty sweetalking have turned alvins ear but im not so easily dissuaded." johns hands scrabbled with anything within reach to defend. something bulky and flat. he grabbed at it and held it up, just in time, the daggers wickedly carved blade burned itself clean through to its hilt in the middle of the food platter. "you sure are clever arntcha little brat?" sneered dagur advancing. "i rather like my noggin thanks for the concern." huffed the viking throwing the tray and its ground bound upturned accessories at the chief. while dagur fended that off that mess he staggered rapidly into the mingling clash of metal. an outcasts eye alit on him as he got too near, having victoriously dispatched his previous foe and started his way. "hey outcast scum!' taunted a voice as an axe thudded into the ground in his path. blueflame and his would-be executioner turned to se one of borks soldiers holding another makeshift weapon at the ready.

"thers another one comin. your kind should stay gone. like all the way gone. theres a reason your cast out. your kind is not welcome here. maybe you shouldve staied there." upon closer look. mr smith! magnus! he caught his eye nodding. "go to safety laddie. ill hold him off. i may not be the great warrior i used yo be, this bellys a bit heavier and rounder then before. but these knees can still take a knockin. go. i can do this. i was bread fir war!" blueflame backpedaled complacently, thought he heard a muttered "or just bread. i sure hope helgas holding her own. my backs gonna be loosened up swell after this. _oy"_ behind him. okay so maybe pelting full tilt _toward_ the seething mass of men intent on hurting you in the permanent happy viking fashion wasnt the best idea. and dagur somewhere to ghis right intent on doing the same, Valhalla bent in murder, sward with his name on it didnt sound so pleasant to turn to? run and hide and prey dagur didnt find him? abruptly the decision was made for him. calls to retreat to their home ground came out. the enemy was too many the berserker force was too great. borks loudest of all. "let them find us in our grounds! take them into the buildings! dint give in!" the dirty street fighting was about to begin.

* * *

korin thought this attacking group was alone. turns out he was wrong. a silky smooth calm collected voice while low in volume suggested complete power sent tigles along his tail. only one voice spoke that way. "yo may not like me right now" it said "but i can teatch you many things Sabrina. if you end me now, you wont get the information you seek. i can teach you the true qualities of a ruler. take me: im one myself. _was._ a few false idols stand in my way to regaining it. i want to help you." "lies! falsitivities! you breathe you lie! you cannot change your way!" korin was batted aside as he tried to get to the owner of the voice knowing who it targeted. "then lets try this another way..." voice strangely hypnotic. in the next few moments hed lose one third of his number, possibly all of them. he burst thorough the last line of disinterested followers going after him, opened his maw, discharged fireballs as readily as he could. loaw azeros saw then coming, cunning snake that he was, menouering himself out of the way and placed himself so the last struck his spiky chest head on as if in a show of power.

"copperwing"" purred the sub leader in a voice suggesting as long lost friend, without breaking his stride or charisma. "fancy seeing you again. but is that how we say hello?" sabrinathemorpoher took advantage what she thought a lapse in concentration moving in to fling her darts. aranidae lashed the air with his tail delaying her, smirking snout n korin. "silence? shame. i would at east expected you to counter me in some way. no fancy speeches? no retaliation to stop me?" korins expressionless was disgust and flat. "no. were way past that. you and i both know you placed yourself here on purpose. it was no accident of yours you just suddenly pop into this battle unannounced. theres a reason youre here, deeper then i actually care to find out. just like theres a reason for everything that you do. you slither and plot and spy in the shadows where no dragon can see, or find. you only surface when you **want** to be found. you think youre so grand, but what you dont realize is theres always more freedom fighters out there ready to put a stop to your plans. the moon cant hinder us.

aranidaes smile was wider. "see"? speech. i love those. there so effortless and thought out when coming from dragons in positions of power. oh, hush you." he hurled several half charged fireballs at sabrinathemorpohers furious snout. "but you do not have the entire picture. i was cast out. an **exile."** korin held up a paw. "save the talk. we both know the longer you pour in the sentiment the more you slip in your power. before long what you have is a puppet." his eyes slid to the monstrous nightmare flapping behind the sub leader. aranidae knew for sure that if he put speed into every muscle in his ebony body he could be over there in seconds, even for the supposidly agilest night fury. he could use his barbed tail to cut korin into so many scaly pieces hed not dare disrespect him, hid grand multi tiered plan or the god protecter again. rethink all that the stubborn little wretch drawing allies to him like a magnet made knew of a rage beneath the calm outward facade masterly worn, to see the vast consuming rage beneath to anyone who disrespected his vision for the future.

he could rake korin apart. but he didnt. patience was a better virtue her, as it should be to all followers once heg got them back and rethought them it. "weve grown since then. i dont care about it. i only care about youre freed. this attack was youre doing." his mask slipped, more and moor often these days, and aranidae didnt like it. was he getting past his prime? replaced by ontonycterys _and_ old? that cant be. he had alot to accomplish before he kicked her out and claimed leadership for all to see. his smile turned insidious. "you should. seeing as im not here for them. or with them. oh yes you should care very much about that. you constantly underestimate yourself, nest ruler. when will you learn?" "i will not became your messenger dragon under your control." "will see, my old friend. well see about that." then turned to deal with sabrinathemporpher. "you may not like the alternative. or have any choice in the matter once your body is mine."

however it appeared the sub leaderd problems of his own. they may be on the sane linkage to the night sky, the moon peeking out over the tip of the erupted volcano, but that hindered them none swooping into attack. hed expected the young ambitious nest ruler to take the bait and get a snoutful of bloody spicky tail, instead these followers, no doubt mistaking him for the enemy though his loyalties didnt lie wih them, much to their impending shock. im a quick swapping of targets aranidae slashed two shrick-induciong lashed deep into the stomach of the First follower, the second out if spite. he didn't care if they belonged to korin or ontonycyterys, if hers all the better. she hurt his tail like that and killing perseverin, (no great loss hes break something if hers. hed half a mind to do so to this obsidian rock he stil clenched.

probably insurance against that mockery of a leader. "you want to live longer? stay far way from me." the second took a more cautious approach to the battle seeing the vermilion leetch from his partners wounds. "we know who you are. leader wants you dead and a slow painful one into whatever canyon you crawled out if." "how sweet that she cares in what artful way i die" he laughed, swinging his tail at him. "but heres a revelation: i dont care. shes not going to be around for much longer. count on it. im nothing if not cunning, smart and persistent in my goals for a better world. more then any night fury dreams of. and i _will_ be leader." the appendage sailed harmlessly short of the followers snout.

but aranidae was already flapping down, rolled, delivered a devastatingly claw piercing to its throat at the procice vulnerable point. that assailant, too, gasped and gasped again her vermilion leeching from the entry wound. he managed to avoid the next, fending off blows from copperwing. he noted with fascination his wounded quarry seemed to shy away retaliating in turn. afraid? his partner under his mind suggestion engaged his other injured follower, at his call sleuther flew over obeduasntlty. shes sure quite a sight as the first follower turned to it doubtfully as it blew back copperwing with a whoosh of its wings. loaw azeros whipped something in her ear, her showing him an ironic doubtful look until he sent her away. all he needed now was time. givin how close their battle to sleuthers position and the previously analyzed gullibility of the enerny, nothing. the smile was back. yes. not long at tall.

* * *

"regroup! regroup and reform and attack anew in the name of our leader!" came the call from korgan. loaw azeros let go the follower been been fighting, snorting. _in the name of our leader:_ sounded like a bunch of carefree dragons back at the nest gathering together for a game of hide-and-go-battle. they thought they stood against him? when ontonycterys could barely do so? laughable at worst. pitiable at best. because if him theyd lost two of their number to report back to her, if they reported back at all. his sneaking into the scuffle here near the volcano and spotting deadly nadders even odds on korins side triumph yet again. like his side managed to claw to barely. aranidae knew korins destination., he wasnt here to hinder it. rather accelerate it: once sleuther did her job the fiery monsters of burning inferno sweep down upn this little skirmish and eliminate them all. hed still taken pleasure in the ironic fact once agin fate somehow delivered pracyically all his enenus pasty and present here, deathbringer, loaw snarna, copprerwing and of course the other unknown dragoness still under his suggestion power, as far as he knew. all about to be burned from the face of the land and no longer a problem for the sub leader.

those pathetic fools. did they learn nothing? the god pritecter was more then patient. this battle ment less then nothing to it. if its bestowed leader fell it could easily replace it. it hungered for hosts. aranidae intended to plan and place his pawns accordingly in a striking fashion. amid the squawking and words ethier side meaninglessly tossed at eatchother proclaiming theyd win in a jumble there was two of his greatest troubles at making his dream a reality, three if e counted loaw been. though she wasnt really a leader abd dead to him in just a few days, not weeks all hinging on that other scheme, so she didnt count. denix-replay/loaw snarna and that pathetic passionate nest ruler korin determined then ever to bring the breeders of darkness down. correction: **loaw veens followers,** loaw azeros had no qualms of participating in her little militant 'clan.'

korin came winging his way wearing one of those pouty upset expressions aranidae found immensely amusing, a sharp tad less ,oodiuly emotional therm loaw snarna, still entertaining. unlike most leaders he enjoyed the encounters with the enemy, sought them out even, not to study them like stuffy loaw veend do, but whiteness shades of sweet defiance like this. "you knoiw, friend-who-tests-my-penitence, i do take note: in our dramatic dance of the fates thus far ive yet to see that bowwn scaled worrywart show herself. has my move been too much to bear?" he asked mock sympathetically, looking at him he added "or you to contain her loss?" korin gritted hos teeth and hovered as close as he dared to the sub leader, aware if his weaponous tasilbarbs. smart thought loaw azeros. no wonder ontonyctrerys viwed him threatening to her rule.

"what did you do to obuekhov? those nightmares flew in tere. they went in there abd i havent a chasnce to return." arnidae inclined hos head at the zipping roaring dragons around them. "or this perhaps? exacusting iusnt it? ruthless that emboldened leaders gotten hasnt she in exyerminstiung your movement?" sometging wicked twinkled in hius eyes "shes trying very hard, il give her that." he edged a bit otf seduction tin hios voice, beginning the slow transition. "what if iu tiold yu i djdnt like her ethier? make yuo feel at ease? ium good at that. i have problems. you have problems. mine iss named loaw veen. i can help you gert rid if her." korins paws dropped, expression taking on the glassy-eyed nature what so many of his victims. loaw azerus readuied his tail slowly unobtrusively to lash it at the procice aangle, sliping more in suggestion, bloodflust pulsdig heavily with righteous lust. heed been looking forward to this too mutch since he last lost hold on sutch a ripe prioze whenb he was younger.

if hed still had his way nona abydos and obuekhov the original intellect behind the rebellions oppositiond crumble (another stiry lead or to follow?), the blind restire to followers under aranidaes younger sef and korin his right clawd dragon doing everything he told hiom to do. unfortunately fate hadnt smiled upon him back then, as it usually djdfnt, frustrating his efforts with the untimely aid of loaw snarna locking korin up. some things appeared mightier thernm even the god oritector. his plans this time, more complex, insured this time he became even mightier then kahuakhaun, his feats legendary and his command abd loyalty og hios breeders if darkness stringer. and eraswe that wave of fear he controlled them by benevolence and enlightenment of every dragon. "yes i do hate her. shes beb a thteat long wenolugh. when i gathe4r my furure ar,my of like-minded creatures thays beeb pit thriugh mutvh pain becsuse oif the moon sjhell regret the pai sdhed aised myu friends." the suib leders voue dropped to the rich silky purring he ftn used.

"yush she will. ill hwelp yow wit that. cownt mwe as your fwiend." he dudnt see toirrids snout whitness the gkings on, the strabe stillness of his hover, thre realization something was unsettlingly amiss. he failed noticing her rapoid dart over to sabrinathemoroeer spin her around and point. "ill make sure shes never troubles us ever again. i -OW!" a faingt zzzt and a shrp puercing oaion caused aranidae to raose his paw. a deadfly nadder spine was lodged haskfewy in his fgirarm. fore more thudded up his side under the winng drawing vemilion. he curdsed viciously and wihdrew yanking out the spines hissing in pain. torrid rushed over breaking any beginnings of hypnoses. "kopper, son. are you allright?" like the protective trrid shed ben when firgetful, the lastreme iif follower to be freed from loaw pernas fall back to nona, she touthed korins dnoutr bidy snd tail wondtring what hapened. until he brushed her awayu stating hed justr fine. an hysterical bout of laughter resionsted behind them. torrid flapped above the heright oif korion wingtips aslmost brushing hids upward arc.

both aslighed with loaw azeros circliomng them at a lower height due tio his facutions gigglinf, birdcerig crazed. "you musty ber jojiomg, dragon. you? a **mother?** a moter! everyone by now incliudinfg the karhe dolt i spied fighting om your side i used to own, thouh our rekationship was thin at best, gloing by the nane of the bestowed totlwd loaw nezere knows his father. the karthge oh-so-oafish-klutz i cared not a whsperr for kahuakhaun. silverwingthefury. i served that big mass of overbearing musckle. glad to be rid of him when loaw dagny took over as leader, a tab more acceptable for that role. but a mother? i wondered. the kegebnday son of silverwing. if i as a follower doing my part for the master descivered yuo lived then id ot hesitsyed to welcome your enlightened perspective. is a shasme fates strung me out thisd long to see you two together."

korins eyes trraced afranidaes circling flihtpath ssseartching fir dedciethis eyes and lscvkl if quirk to ghis luips seemed genuine, ijn a twisted sort of way. witch was worse. could be surely snoither of the snakes slipery trks. tyorrid spoke his mind. "yuo will not harm my son." loaw azeruis eyed his bleedung paw asgain, snortig another laugh. "yes i see that. i applaud you for your inpeccoble timing interveining. but i wouldnt fdeam of it. a motgher sjpuld not be sweperated like thart. wgeni could _deyrtioy_ both at once instead." he turned tail suddenly and attempted to flee, just saw denix replay collided from above. loaw azeros referred to the chilling cry from thousands of long red thrats of a horde on the martch. the monsterus nightmares, reunited since exxcellence scattered thier redemption with korins furys whod been about to obliterate, had arrived. at its head flying faster then thire carefree speed was sleuther.

"you and your lousy see through plans. whatd you do this time?" denixs paranoid voice was overheard somewhere in the background as the fighting forces gradually sized, beholding these new...threat? copperwing wasnt so sure. "of fior dragonske here we go. must we aklways fi the same dance loaw snarnas, you and i?" sleuther barreled thjriough the beings in her way, eyeetalks seeking her mater. "zi told zem what i waz inztructed. they didntt takez itz well. zey think zi lie." korin was moving enpoward by forced hopes, ignoring torrids cry to come back or dragons equal cry for different reasons. they must still be calm. not entrged. if tyheyd come to do wgat they once did they are doomed! fortunately when he flew out ahead of the battle the monsterius nightmare horde halted themselves as well. tier sdhades of crimsipon to burnished rust blotted out the sky. just a mas of thwacking wings stirring the auir.

they riared. loud ebough to msje the hackles rise on every conbantasnt. all nut aranidae, relaxed and smiling facetiously in thge grip of denix replay, wjosd gotten a good grip on his tail weith her bacvk claws abd hos crawnny thriat with hewr front. the tiasrig stopped. silence. the dfirecter in friont looked korin over. "weheatz za meabiong oif thisz? zwhy are zwe xalled? whsty iz zo importasnt zwer zwere pulled away from our heated plaze? zwer lizten to ourzelvez. but thiz iz iunezzecairy laber. in za dark of nught. why?" a shiofting f bodies in the flapping flok and another nightmare pushed her way thriough. korin was not toi distinguish indecvisdyal pounted snouts. "wait. thiz one i rememverz. do zyou remenmber me? zio waz one if many to perzue acrozz the wavez. angry. zuddenly i realized urning zyour kind waz not rightzi cane to azk forgiveness. a beazt came out of the wavez and-" korin interrupted the young directer nodding. sating they stil had his acceotabe. she nodded in turn. just like thaty, comfusions on intentions dissipated. the other dfurecters gaze sdlid tpo sleuther, seeking her out sospiecioyusly. "and thiz? zhe iz one of the mozy liztened to of uz. valued. what iz za reazin for calling uz here?" denix reaided her voicearanidae squirming futilely in her grip. or maybe he only seemed to. the sudden commasnd of "retreat! devide and cqonqyer in the name of iuyr loeader another eve!" called korganangling his wings.

before anyone cold stop them the reanining ten shot iff as fast as thier wings cerried them: wet toloaw veens comanedeered nest. torrid,dragon, debnix replay, aranidae, sabrinathemorpger and her esciort nadders faced the niughtmares. with skueuther flsspping uncertain apatt. her timed come. "yes aboiut that. thsat has toi di wuth the troublesome rat right hre. he oribably did sometging to her. this slime used hos voice on her. its rime to undo that." the directer looked at korin quizzily as if exiecing him to ckarify,. he djd, teling tjem about the fourth leaders notiriety abd tge triouble and lives he took presently. the dfirecters gaze slid baxck to sklueuther. "i zee. iz there anythingz zwe casn do toi cure?" denix: " _you_ can not no. but _he_ can _."_ her vlice lowre thtreatasningly, 0paranoid to no end this sub leader reatainef thgat infuriation exoression. "stop _smiling!_ it isnt funny. you took ovdr a dragons free will appaentyly wuiekduing great influence, the dragon that i had to fight because of you. well gues whgaty i surved, our plan dfailed and now undo wgat you did. yuo casn recenbd it." spomething clicked in dragons eye, flyingt to hover beside denix not sure wejat to do. so too did torrod. three dragons in one place hed at one time or another mae obeduant to him.

"whgat makles you thik this collapsed in failure?" mused loaw azetos wings beating hard. in a show of non traditional denixy begasvbious she sciwkered shaking aranidae dirceky abd leting go of his tail with hind paw to poirece his undrtumy. fix her. now! were tired of yourr ruing the lives of innocent creatures for the moon soulskicimg will and furthermore ours." aranidaes eyes flicked tio the reaming forces, and settled on debix. he appeared to slump in defeat sagubg slightly in her grip making her wings wirkharder. "vey well. so it will be, loaw snarna. remove suggestions!" torrid shook her head looking as of wokenfrom a dream 9the goid oritecvrtis making her a servant didnt erase aranidaes powers on her, just added to) as did dragon. sleutherd the profoundest effect, opaning her wings to thie fullest extent lighting herewkf temporarily asflsmee, rating at top decibel. thsays when aranidae made his move, sure if he coudnt do anything kse he couks st leasr strike doiwn another =. hos tail wghipped free if her weakened graPO, archoig over asnd around like sabrionathemorphers.

"gaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" cane denixs cry, feeling bardbs sink deeply into her back beginning at the wing to the back of her head. he withdrew irt, erpoeatng the poricess sevberasl more ties, choosing to relish the moment larer. vermilion splattered his tail and air. her back. he shoved her way and syruvl agsin this time under her neck. " _oh_ thaytd beter. tiodat is not the day. but its coming. and soon. now of youll excuse me i have plsns to firm, a ;leadership tyo reclaiom, an armada if night furys, revenge to plot." he angled ghis wngs, habving fiiled thar information earlier, nd shot off west, words echiing distantly. "so mutch to dio in so little time. isnt this ixcitint, my friends? you mustve been so _bored_ over the last year suience i was leader. hahaahhhaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" koron rushed iver to ckutch eher paw, though far too snmal to hold her fullgrown eright.

dragon sloped under her, grunting slightly as korin let go, seeing his efforts. denix replay limp ent unconscious. korim arranged her body so it didnt hinderd not dragons massive wingspan. tail flopping over his side. "she need to get her help. fast. we need to land." sanbrinathemorphers suggested that take her tio her territory. korin shot down the idea immediately. unexpected help came from the fitrctyer herself once again, seeing the whole thing, snout described almost as sympathetic. "come. zwe can help. itz the leazt zwe cold do for forgiveness" said the young fenalke nightmare detaching herself from the flock, flying over to dragon to inspect denix, dragon bearing her weight feeling queasy at her proximity. "zhe iz bad. come back with uz to the mountain. itz heat help her. follow uz. prezent company accepted zof course."

* * *

flying in the wake of a horde not so distantly, a million string, out to rend thier l8ives inti a fiery inferno and anything else that obstructed them., made copperwing uneasy. if he felt this way theres no doubt in his heart they grated on the nerves od the others. he ciusdnt think for sabrinathemorphers and her lot, though. as mutch and that moody vanity-ridden dragoness got on his nerves, he really held concern for denix replay. that dirty snake showing up and slicing into her like that weith almost contemptuous ease. could the ex nert ruler genuinely firgive an act luiker that alomg weith all else hed committed? yes! the answer came unbiidden. the drasgon wasnt choosing this necessarily. the moon inghiued his body and made him do it he kleiot telling himself. hed seen firstclaw the broken side of loaw azwerios. the trouble was ontonycterys making him and valdis evil again, moreover how to free them.

if only dfir8nbg that alliance fired with a considerably less murderous perseverin, hed mightve been abe to relate to the docile valdis underneaths the infection., through her to the other figureheads, none spoke during the ratyer sgort flight to the volcano. eastch undoubtedly brooding grimly on thier fates and the monstersus nightmares leading them. korin doubted theyd forgive the creatures as easily as he did for their transgressions: not everyoned readily accept an apology when mere days ago they tore at their existences. a million red beasts trashing and burning the lsnd. korin sometimes wondered if these nightmares hadnt done this to the area around their current residence, instead off an erupting volcano. only thing mattered now were healing his friend and stoping law veen korin erminfed himself seleena. he vowed to return her tio that name. he also noted sleuther, the puopoet nightmare aranidae cintrilled it seemed suencde his snsense, flew apart from the rest of her flock, appearing entirely docile/nonthreatening.

he wondered if thosd was her real self beneath vipres poawer asnhd the red syn scycke in general aqfecvtig thier sicecies. his eys rivked rti denixs fuirm on dragons back, thoughts conflicted: whod have thought it hed see his third worse nusience deatynriungerd be the one volunteering to carry the dragoness who blateneltky been a pain in the tail fir him. her head lolled off the top of dragons head. all the party flew fkear of the sometimes steady stream of liquid from denixs undertummy. he wondered how dragon tolerated it, must be extremely disconcerting to be slathered in another dragoneses vermilion. loaw azeros aranidae: the name brought a host of bad memories and encounters with the former leader/whatever he meant to the side of shadow now. besides the bad time of nona being snodussen, aranidae by far korins wireser nightmare.

speaking of...one of them looped wide back tio the mismatched group, ignoring sleuther. "come zwith me. zi will lead yourz injured friend to rezt here. comez" vdiced rge young female directer, addressing them all. sabrinathemorpher looked at korin, who nodded. who also known hed pace his trust in a monsterous nihtmare mere duys ago tried to make him extinct. several other nightmares peeled off following her,. in a cave positively covered black with ash flakes abd still warm toi the rlen wehen korins band landed. the distaste, birfering pure disgust shown on the nadders snouts at their surroundings, hinting a strong effort to be here out of thioer nest ruklers oromise to korins cause. drafibn immiedately sneezed, just as the directer gestured with her arrow-like snout "here iz hhere zyour fiensd iz bezt zuitd to recover" debix shot off hos back at he jercky motion to the floor poofing ash everywhere, making the nadders crosser still, some directed at dragon.

"oh my" commented tirrid aty the sight of denixs gaping wounds. "that is a lot of blood. seems my husbands anger caused a lot of danage." copoperwingd a lot to tell his mother of the instigation of silverwings bitterness. the casbe was big enough to fit all ten dragons inside. sleuther was not among them. hard ti be sure. she was failt laerge. an aquard pause dell over the lot, no one sure what to say. torrid broke it momermtirily moving toward debnix and the vermilion pooling in piddkles. "ill take care oif ber. im good at protecting and mending things. my husband disrupts. i mend." dragon looked up at the cilling., expression twisted uo like he ws holding i an impeding sneeze, sabrinathemorphers nadders were stick and silent having nothing to offer a conversation, anf the directers gazed through they orobsbky dudnt mean to: were forbidding. sensing everything in order copperwingthefury opened his jaws to explain his original mission for coming here. a duedter beat gim to it. "whatz your purpoze amungz us? we do notz normally mingle." korin took a deep breath, ready fir the mattle of a lifetime. watch out loaw veen were coming. "ive come _ in seartch of allies_."


End file.
